Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine Paper Cranes
by kimono2007
Summary: Kuchiki Rukia can't remember a certain Kurosaki Ichigo and why she has nine hundred and ninety nine paper cranes in her room. She only needed one more to make her wish, but what was her wish in the first place? IxR.
1. One

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Bleach. But I own my imagination.

* * *

_**NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES**_

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true. But actually it's time that heals you."**  
**_

ONE

There were nine hundred and ninety nine colorful paper cranes inside her closet. She counted and recounted them for almost three hours, forgetting she was supposed the change into house clothes that's why she entered her closet. The paper cranes were in her room, and that means it was hers, she made them. A thousandth one will make her wish, any wish come true. Or atleast that's what legends say. But there were only nine hundred and ninety nine of those origami. Meaning, she was very close to getting her wish. But what was she supposed to wish for? Surely, to have the perseverance to make that many paper cranes, she already had something in mind. But she can't remember. Or maybe, just maybe, she forgot.

–

Rukia Kuchiki had just come home from the hospital, after spending almost a month there. Her brother told her she and her cousin Renji had an accident, and she got the worse part. Renji only had minor injuries and was released from the hospital after three days, while she was in comatose for a week. The accident gave her selective amnesia and she couldn't remember anything about that night, except for the vague memory that she and Renji went out to watch a movie.

"You sneaked out and I didn't know anything about it until the police called and told me about a car crash," said Byakuya icily, when she asked about the accident again on her first dinner back home. Obviously, he still hasn't forgiven her, much less Renji, who drove the car that night.

"Sorry, sorry," muttered Renji lazily. It was nth time he apologized, although he didn't really meant it. For him, one apology is enough and that Byakuya ought to have forgiven them by now.

Rukia chewed her food thoughtlessly. She really can't remember, even though she tries to recount the events that night. The effort sometimes made her head ache, but she keeps it to herself. Her brother already had a lot on his mind. "Do you know why I have paper cranes in my room?" she asked suddenly.

Eyebrows shot up. "Paper cranes?" asked Renji.

"We don't enter you room, Rukia," answered Byakuya.

"Oh."

"You suppose she forgot about those too, along with the accident?" Renji asked Byakuya, who was a doctor.

It wasn't her area of expertise, though. Byakuya was a cardiologist. "I am positive, although I shall still confirm it with my colleagues. I shall add though, that I am under the theory that you forgot only unimportant things which are therefore not worth remembering."

"Thank you, Nii-sama."

"Do you have anything else bothering you?" asked Byakuya.

"No, I think I remember everything else," answered Rukia, and it was true. Nothing else gave her the odd empty feeling that the paper cranes gave her that afternoon.

After dinner, she went directly to her room and examined everything.

There were pictures in her dresser and they showed the faces of her friends and family and herself: her best friends, Momo and Rangiku; other friends, Kira, Shuuhei, and Chad; several showed pictures of herself in various occassions and one showed a grinning Renji with an arm around a flustered Byakuya's shoulder.

And then there were rabbits of all forms and sizes, and she remembered who gave each of them or where she bought them. She remembered the contents of her books that they have already discussed and the ones that she didn't understand. Rukia remembered that she loves art and Literature and she despises and sucks at Algebra.

She remembered everything but the paper cranes.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Renji, leaning against her doorway.

"Yeah, sure," said Rukia, still looking around for stuff she might have forgotten.

Renji sat on her bed, looking worried.

"What is it?" asked Rukia.

"You know, I still haven't apologized," started Renji. "I'm sorry I was a careless driver and I'm sorry you forgot things because of the accident." He blushed, a rare occurrence.

Rukia forgot to suppress her smile. "It's not your fault, Renji, it was an accident and nobody wanted it. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I convinced you to sneak out even though we were both grounded."

"But--"

"It's over, alright?" said Rukia, pulling Renji out of her bood and to the door. "One more apology and I will really blame you for what happened."

"Rukia--"

"Shut up, Renji," said Rukia sternly, and it shut him up. "Good night."

She closed the door and collapsed in her bed, wishing for a good night's sleep. The doctor allowed her to return to school the next day and that was what she was going to do. And therefore she needed to rest.

With a sigh, Rukia closed her amethyst eyes and drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

"Rukia-chan!" Momo greeted cheerfully as they saw each other the next day. Rangiku was right behind her and they embraced each other.

"Good morning, Momo, Rangiku," greeted Rukia, feeling refreshed and as cheerful as her two best friends.

"So," said Rangiku quietly. "Now that you're back, can we go shopping later after school?" She winked.

"Rangiku-san!" Momo exclaimed. "She still needs her rest, you know."

Rangiku pouted. "Sure, sure. Tomorrow then."

Rukia smiled as Momo stubbornly explained to Rangiku how Rukia is still in recovery, and unfortunately, Rangiku stubbornly refused to listen. The two continued like that until they reach their first class, which is Gym. Rukia was excused, but she was welcomed warmly by the enigmatic Kisuke-sensei.

"Ahh, Kuchiki-san, you may sit on the bleachers while waiting. And you're excused so this won't affect your grade, so don't worry," said Kisuke-sensei.

"Thank you very much, sir," said Rukia brightly, relieved.

"But you will need to catch up when you're well enough to play basketball, alright?"

Rukia smiled. "Thank you, sir." But the inner Rukia frowned. She wasn't good at Gym and her petite figure did not help in basketball either. Of all the games they could play, Kisuke-sensei chose the one she couldn't actually excel in, unless she grows at least another foot, and that was almost impossible.

So she took a seat in the third row, glad that at least she can still use the accident as an excuse to not joing Gym class. Skipping class wasn't her, but Gym was an exception. And of course, Algebra too. She'd get into every accident possible if only it would rid her of her two least favorite subjects forever.

She was lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when somebody shouted, "Duck!"

A ball hit her on the head. And damn hard too.

Momo and Rangiku were at her side instantly, along with a scowling orange-haired teen, scratching the back of his head. "I told you to duck, you just didn't hear me," he said as soon as he was within earshot. "Are you hurt?"

Rukia felt her temper rise immediately. "Well, no, I'm actually having the time of my life." She scowled. "Of course, I'm hurt. What did you think you threw at me, a marshmallow?"

"I was asking properly, you," said the carrot-top. "If --"

"Young people by the bleachers," called Kisuke-sensei, not sounding worried at all. "You might want to decided what to do with Kuchiki-san now, because time is gold, you know."

Rukia waved at their teacher. "I'm alright, Kisuke-sensei! Nothing bleeding and nothing broken!"

"That's good to hear!" shouted Kisuke-sensei, waving back with his infamous fan. "Now Hinamori-san, Matsumoto-san and Kurosaki-san, kindly return to your drills."

The carrot-top was the first to make his way down.

"He didn't even apologize," muttered Rukia darkly. "What a humongous idiot."

"He's just frustrated, Rukia-chan" said Momo.

"Frustrated?"

Rangiku was already pulling Momo back to the court. "It's nothing, Rukia, just rest there!" And they went back to their drills, leaving Rukia with a headache and in a state of confusion.

* * *

The whole day, people she knew who knew her welcomed her back to the school and encouraged her and it made her feel warm and tingly inside. It was nice to know that people actually liked her, people not counting her brother, her cousin and her two best friends. She considered herself very lucky.

First period after lunch was literature, taught by Ukitake-sensei, the nicest teacher you could find.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-san," he greeted as he entered the room and placed his books on the table. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Ukitake-sensei, thank you very much."

Being the great teacher that he is, he dedicated the next two hours to Rukia by reviewing their _Romeo and Juliet _to see if there's anything she has forgotten. Fortunately, she remembered everything.

"Well, class," said Ukitake-sensei as the bell rang for second period, "that was very cooperative, even unexpectedly so. And Kuchiki-san, I'm glad to know you haven't lost your head at all."

And with a nonchalant wave and a cheerful smile, the kind teacher went out ahead of them. Their next class was Home Economics, located in another room.

"The guy sitting on my left," started Rukia as they left the room. "Kisuke-sensei and Ukitake-sensei called him Kurogane--"

"He's _Kurosaki_, not Kurogane," chided Rangiku. "Although the name makes him sound yummier."

Momo frowned. "Rangiku-san!"

"Is he a transferee?"

Momo and Rangiku exchanged puzzled glances. "No, he's our classmate since freshman year," said Rangiku, suddenly serious.

"You don't remember him?" asked Momo worriedly.

"No, I don't think so," answered Rukia truthfully.

"But-- no way!"

Rukia shook her head. "He looks weird to me. If Nii-sama saw him, he'd probably see him as a delinquent."

"Well, he _is_ cute, admit it," said Rangiku, tossing her hair to the side, making the boys turn and whistle as they passed. "And he's a lot better than most of the dudes here."

"That's not true," said Momo, and Rukia was about to ask which part of it wasn't true, but Momo already asked something. "What about him, Rukia-chan?"

Rukia tried to look indifferent, although thinking of that Kurosaki made her feel a little nervous.. weird. "I noticed at him staring at me, so I looked back, thinking it would embarrass him and make him look away, but he didn't."

"What did he do instead?"

"He looked back at me," said Rukia, remembering how Kurosaki's amber eyes made her feel bare. "I was almost thinking he was trying to speak to me through mind telepathy, but then Ukitake-san asked him a question."

"Oh."

"And mind you, he knows Shakespeare very much."

"Typical Ichigo," muttered Rangiku as they reached the H.E. Classroom.

"He likes Shakespeare?"

"Like?" said Rangiku, and both she and Momo giggled. "Honey, he's in love with Shakespeare."

"Oh," but then Rukia remembered the way he stared at her. "Do you know why he stared at me like that?"

Momo's expression turned instantly from amusement to terror. "No, why would he do that, right?" Her voice shook a little.

Rangiku, on the other hand, seemed to be suddenly interested with lessons, something that rarely happens. "Do you know what we'll be baking today? Or maybe we'll cook something? Oh, I do wish it's something sweet."

Rukia tried hard to ignore her best friends' sudden change of attitude, because just then, the controversial Kurosaki entered the room with Chad and settled on the table behind them. Rukia found it very strange. Chad was a very quiet person and quite a loner. She didn't remember him hanging out with this Kurosaki.

She has forgotten about him, she was now certain of it. But why him, and only him, of all people?

* * *

A/N: Well, what do you think? Could you please, pretty please, let me know?

Commonly Renji is included in love triangles, but I think he needs a break and deserves a chance to be some kind of big brother to Rukia. That's my justification for his role. I may edit this again, depending on your reviews, so type away! Suggestions will be warmly welcomed, just spare me from flames. My heart is very delicate :)

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER: **

**"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." - Kevin Arnold**

You see that button below? Press it. :)


	2. Two

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

* * *

_**NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES**_

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true. But actually it's time that heals you."_

TWO

"Are you sure we can't go shopping today?" asked Rangiku lazily as they left the room at dismissal. "I mean, you're safe and sound, walking and talking now, right?"

"Something tells me there's a sale in the mall," said Rukia suspiciously.

Rangiku's eyes brightened instantly. "The fifty percent sale is until today! Please, please, let's go!"

"Rangiku-san," said Momo, tugging at Rangiku's hand.

"Right, right," said Rangiku, and she stretched her arms and earned covetous stares from the boys again.

"What's the use?" asked Rukia, noticing the number of people staring at them. Pretty much everyone in the hallway did. "You seem to be enjoying releasing your pheromones here, why do it at the mall?"

Momo giggled.

"Eh? They all seem too immature for me," said Rangiku, looking around, as if looking for someone who might rouse her interest. She seemed to have found none, as she turned back to the two with a yawn.

"Anyway," said Rukia, beaming, "Renji just sent me a message and he said we'll be having pizza tonight. Wanna come?"

Rangiku raised a strawberry blonde eyebrow. "Renji? Your _hot_ tattooed cousin? Of course I'd come." She winked.

Momo tugged at Rangiku's hand again. "Rangiku-san, we can't come."

It was Rukia's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why is that?" she asked in a slightly hurt tone.

Momo smiled apologetically. "I'm very sorry, Rukia-chan. We can't come over, Rangiku-san and I have to talk to _someone_." The emphasis on the word puzzled Rukia even more, but it seemed to shed some light on Rangiku's head. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

"Yeah, I almost forgot," said Rangiku, sparing Momo a meaningful glance.

"And who might that someone be?" inquired Rukia.

"You don't know him, he's nobody," said Momo suddenly, and Rukia noted the nervousness in her voice. There was something they weren't telling her.

Momo started pulling Rangiku, seeming to have spotted someone behind Rukia. "We have to go, Rukia-chan. Tell Renji-kun we're sorry."

Rangiku had no choice but to let herself be pulled by the little lady. "Tell Renji I'll see him around! And take care on your way home, alright?"

Rukia could only followed them with her eyes as they sprinted off in the direction of the stairs. She didn't know if they just ran into him or he was the very person Momo and Rangiku wanted to talk to; just as Rukia turned to head home, she saw her two best friends pull aside a certain carrot-top.

* * *

She didn't enjoy dinner. And Renji was no help whatsoever.

"You know, this could be really great if your freakin' brother showed up. I called him a hundred times and told him to come home early," said Renji, taking a bite on his nth slice of pizza. "And where are the two friends you said you'd bring?"

Rukia scowled even more. "They had to go somewhere. And it's all your fault for calling us in short notice. They could've cleared their schedules if they knew you'd be treating us pizza."

"Well, sorry for being handsomely spontaneous," said Renji and he grinned, which infected Rukia like a disease. She found herself grinning too.

"Oh well. I guess we should do this with them some other time."

Renji nodded, his mouth stuffed with food. "So," he said, and swallowed. "How was school?"

"Fine, good," said Rukia. "They were all very nice to me." Except for one scowling person. "Hey, cousin, do I know someone named Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Renji choked. "What?" he asked, rather angrily. "Say that again."

"I said, do I know someone named Kurosaki Ichigo? He has orange hair, and he's tall and he's got this frow--"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, he's my classmate and I thought he was a transferee because I didn't recognize him. But Momo and Rangiku told me he was our classmate since first year. Do I know him before the accident?" asked Rukia,

"Never heard of him," snapped Renji.

"You don't have to be so mean about it," said Rukia.

"Well, you heard your brother last night. You only forgot unimportant things and them being unimportant means they're not worth remembering. Got that?" Renji rose from his seat and looked at his watch. "Where the heck did Byakuya go now? He said he only had one meeting to attend!"

Rukia didn't understand. Not one bit made sense.

"Since when did you learn to quote what my brother says?"

"When you're finished, you can just throw the leftovers. Byakuya would probably too tired to eat when he gets home," said Renji, still looking at his watch, like it suddenly became very interesting.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get that. Finish your meal," said Renji, and he went to get the door.

Rukia sighed. She was the survivor of a tragic accident and the one with amnesia. She should be the one acting weird. She should be the one who's awkward, who's hiding things, who's avoiding questions. Not Renji, not Momo and certainly not Rangiku.

And what is up with that Kurosaki Ichigo anyway? First look and Rukia knew he's up to no good. The crease on his forehead looked permanent and he looked as if he's bored to death with his life. And what's with the orange hair? Delinquent, definitely.

_I mean, who would bleach his hair orange? A total idiot,_ thought Rukia.

And that name. The name, Ichigo. What was that? A delinquent with the cutest name? _Strawberry._ How nice.

Rukia didn't like being critical, but the situation seemed to call for it. He was asking for it, that orange-haired scowling strawberry.

"You have no business here," she suddenly heard Renji say. He seemed to be having an argument with whoever rang the doorbell.

"Look, I just wanted to check on her," said the stranger, and Rukia winced. The voice was familiar, like she heard it from a dream, or from a distant memory. It made her heart flutter.

"She's doing great without your help," said Renji more loudly, and sounding more irritated. "Now, _leave_." The last word sounded poisonous.

"I'll leave," said the stranger again. "But can you at least give her these?"

Renji didn't answer for a long time. But when he did, he seemed to be holding back tons of anger or contempt, which paralyzed Rukia to where she was eavesdropping. "She has no use for those. Go take them to somebody that's not my cousin. Leave, NOW!"

The door slammed and Rukia blinked. Renji replaced his butt on his previous seat.

"Who was that, Renji?" asked Rukia.

"Nobody," barked Renji.

"Who did he come to see?" Though it was pretty obvious. The stranger said 'her'. And Rukia was the only girl in the house.

"That's none of your business," snapped Renji.

"Did he come to see me?" asked Rukia, rising from her seat, tempers up again.

"No."

"Who came to see me?" demanded Rukia.

Renji lost temper with her too. He rose from his seat. "It was nobody, okay? And he didn't come for you!" And then he stormed out of the dining room.

Rukia collapsed on her seat. Obviously, nobody was going to tell her anything.

* * *

"Well, he did ask for you alright," Rukia told Rangiku, as they made their way to Gym the next day. "But of course he asked for Momo too."

Rangiku pouted. "You're cruel."

"Well, forgive me for being downright honest. Renji just asked about you two because I already told him you'd be coming. And you ditched me."

Momo grabbed her hand. "We're really sorry, Rukia-chan. But our meeting with Kur-- I mean, with our friend was really important."

Rukia shook her head incredulously. "So you did meet with Kurosaki! And you're not telling me something!"

"Rukia-chan," said Momo, and she looked as if she was about to cry. "We're really sorry."

"Momo, why didn't you tell me?"

This time it was Rangiku who asnwered. And she did it seriously too. "We can't tell you right now because you just had an accident and you're head's still vulnerable to information overload. Now, just dwell on the fact that we're trying to protect you, 'kay?"

Momo was nodding furiously beside Rangiku, and her teary eyes softened Rukia.

"This is starting to get confusing," she said finally.

"We know, we know," said Rangiku, returning instantly to her normal carefree self. "Ignorance is truly bliss."

Rukia just shrugged, already starting to get tired of secrets and mysteries she wasn't allowed to know.

"Rukia, hey, Rukia, wait!"

The three of them turned and saw a panting Kurosaki with a hand on his knees and a bouquet of harassed-looking flowers on the other.

"Ichigo-kun," said Momo, and glanced at Rukia. The girl wasn't moving. Her face was emotionless.

"What do you want?" asked Rukia, her voice measured and wary.

"I-- I wanted to give you these," he said and shoved the roses to her.

The shock couldn't have been plainer in her face.

"They're not fresh anymore, I bought them yesterday, and I planned to give it to you yesterday, but your cousin won't let me see you," said Kurosaki, finally straightening up. "But I placed them on a vase with water, so I figured they'd be fine."

Rukia was still dumbstruck. Kurosaki giving her flowers wasn't exactly the best way to start the day. "How did you know I liked roses?"

"You tol-- I mean, Momo told me yesterday."

With that, Rukia looked at Momo questioningly.

"I-- I actually don't know what to say," said Momo quietly.

And so Rukia turned back to Kurosaki. "So it was you last night?"

That voice. It was Kurosaki who visited her last night. His voice made her heart flutter. His voice was familiar, but she couldn't remember.

Kurosaki scratched the back of his head, suddenly embarrassed. "Yeah, it was me." Rukia didn't answer, so Kurosaki took it as an opportunity.

"Do you remember anything about the 6 th of February?" he asked.

"Ichigo, you came at a bad time. Ask her some other time, go now, go," said Rangiku suddenly, shooing him with her hands.

"No, I don't know what happened that day." Rukia felt a pull in her chest which she couldn't understand. It wasn't painful, but it bothered her.

"Well, how about the 15 th of July? You gotta know that," said Kurosaki.

Rukia shook her head, and it was a big mistake. It made her dizzy, and her sight became unfocused for a moment. "Actually I don't know what you're talking about."

"You--"

"Ichigo-kun, that's enough," said Momo, as Rukia dropped the bouquet and clutched the sides of her aching head. Momo and Rangiku held her by her elbows.

"But, she must at least remember something!" cried Kurosaki, now sounding exasperated himself.

"We're late for Gym," said Rangiku and started steering Rukia towards the gymnasium.

"Hey, don't just whisk her away!" yelled Kurosaki.

Rukia suddenly became still, as a sudden image played in her head.

_She was in a classroom with a guy. The guy's face was cloudy. "Why me?" asked Rukia._

"_Well, I could give you reasons, but we probably wouldn't reach the end of the list, so I suggest let's just go get some lunch."_

Reasons for what? And who was it?

It made her head ache even more, but at least she had enough strength to stand straight and look him in the eye.

"Look, I don't know who you are, why you're asking me these weird questions, and what the hell you're up to. And I don't want to know. You make my head ache and you made us late for Gym, so leave me alone." She said all that through gritted teeth, for the pain in her head was intensifying, still.

"You knew me."

Rukia couldn't help but soften with the look Kurosaki gave her when he said that. But how can she give in, when she can't remember one bit about him?

"I did," said Rukia determinedly. "I don't why I only forgot you, of all people, but I did. And it's probably because you're unimportant. I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't know you."

Rukia didn't understand. She was angry at someone, something, but she couldn't point a finger where. As much as Kurosaki Ichigo intrigued her, she can't bring herself, she couldn't force herself, to remember him. And he may be in first-name basis with Momo and Rangiku, but to Rukia, now and who knows until when, he would just be Kurosaki.

Three hurt and shocked faces stared back at her, but she didn't see them. She turned as soon as she finished speaking and hurried off to apologize to Kisuke-sensei.

* * *

A/N: Okay, the second one. I think it's not as good as the first chapter, but at least, the plot thickened. Or not. I guess It's for you to judge. Reviews are very much welcome. And you could add suggestions too. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and also to those who placed this story in their Story Alert list. It makes me feel warm inside :)

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER:**

**"We do not remember days; we remember moments." - Cesare Pavese**

Press the button below. Merci :)**  
**


	3. Three

Disclaimer: Maybe everyone ought to know by now that Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. And only to him. But I own a bracelet like the one Uryuu Ishida has! (The cross-thingy) xD And I saw this shirt that says, "If this body is lifeless, RELAX! I'm just out fighting Hollows." So cool. I'd kill for a shirt like that. Anyway..

* * *

_**NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES**_

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true. But actually it's time that heals you."_

THREE

"Damn," she muttered, as she lowered her hand with the paper crane and her other rose to massage her now aching head. There were still nine hundred and ninety of those cryptic paper cranes.

Kuchiki Rukia had convinced herself that there was some kind of mistake. There was just no way that she stopped making the paper cranes just when she was so close to making her wish. Even if she can't remember what was her wish in the first place. She was itching to test if the supposed magic was true, and yet she just couldn't remember how to make paper cranes. That's why she's still stuck with nine hundred and ninety nine of them.

She was just one paper crane short. Why the hell can't she remember?

* * *

After that last encounter with Kurosaki Ichigo, Rukia found herself struggling to forget the look on his face when she said he was unimportant. She felt like a child being scolded for something she did not do. Guilt washed over her every time she remembered how sad his eyes looked before she walked away.

And so to forget, she volunteered to help the Student Council for the School Festival. Rukia thought it would be nice to make their last festival successful, and Momo, who was the Student Council secretary looked as though they _needed_ the help anyway.

"Ru-chan, you're really heaven sent," said Momo as they searched for seats in their first meeting in the Student Council Headquarters. They found their place beside the other volunteers. "You came just at the right moment."

"It's nothing," said Rukia. "I have tons of free time, so I might as well do something worthwhile."

"But your help is really valuable to the Student Council. With the School Festival, field trip, elections and graduation coming up, we admit we need a few more hands," said Momo as she took out her notebook and pen.

Rukia only smiled at Momo's honesty. She liked it.

"Oi, SHUT UP!"

The whole room instantly turned quiet and all eyes turned to the vice president, Shiba Kaien, who was sitting behind the teacher's desk in front. He stood up when he saw that they were finally paying him some attention. He smirked. "Heh, that was easy."

"And so's this." A roll of newspaper produced a loud smack as it made contact with Kaien's head. "I told you to keep things in control, not scare the wits out of them," said Ishida Uryuu, the president. Rukia was one of the few who grinned at the sight of Shiba massaging his head; it seemed comical beside Ishida's serious expression.

"Didn't you just see how I made them pipe down?" demanded Shiba, easily towering over Ishida, who didn't seem to cringe even a bit.

"I saw you shouting at them like they're a bunch of first graders," answered Ishida, rearranging his glasses. Before Kaien could retort, Ishida changed the subject. "Hinamori, please record the minutes of this meeting."

"Yes, sir!" Momo excused herself to Rukia and left her seat beside her for one that was near the desk. And so Shiba Kaien occupied the chair beside Rukia.

"Alright, first things first.."

* * *

"You know, I could carry those books for you," said Kaien to Rukia as they made their way to the library. Rukia's first task for the Student Council was to return the blasted heavy science books to the shelves, where they belonged, although she had no idea how that task was connected to the School Festival.

"Thanks, but I can manage," said Rukia. She was sorely tempted to be relieved of the heavy burden, but she was determined to complete her first task. She thought Kaien was sweet and all, but Rukia had the feeling that it wasn't right to fancy anybody at the moment, though she couldn't quite remember where she got that idea.

"Ah, how could Ishida order you to do this?" sighed Kaien. "There were tons of other volunteers."

"Thank you for your concern, Shiba-kun but--"

"Shiba-senpai!"

They both turned and saw a freshman gasping for breath. "Ishida-senpai wants you back in the Student Council Headquarters." He panted so much that Rukia thought he was having an asthma attack.

"That guy, ordering people around like everyone's his minions," said Kaien, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Did he say something else?"

"He told me to tell you to practice your flirting skills somewhere else." At that, the boy blushed, and so did Rukia. Without another word, he ran away.

"I think it would better not to let the president wait," said Rukia, after a few moments of stunned silence.

Kaien was scratching the back of his head, and Rukia found herself wondering why that gesture was so familiar. It was like a scene from an old movie that she just couldn't remember the title. "Will you be alright if you carry those to the library alone?" he asked.

Rukia grinned. "What, you think I'd be ambushed right inside the school building? Just go, Kaien."

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Kaien ruffled her hair gently before he left.

She watched him disappear first before continuing on her way. Rukia paused before the stairs. Somehow she felt as though descending those steps with arms heavily laden with book wasn't a good idea. And unless the school would suddenly sprout elevators she wouldn't go that way. And who ever saw an elevator in a public high school? So she proceeded.

And it was a mistake.

One moment she was whistling a tune, and then she missed a tiny step, and then there was a flash of different colors and then she saw a streak of orange before she instinctively closed her eyes. She heard the crash of the books onto the floor, but her fall didn't come. Instead, she was held to place by a very warm vise-like grip. And when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into very beautiful and deep amber pools.

"Kurosaki--?"

His face suddenly became a slide show of emotions: shock, and then confusion, and embarrassment, then back to confusion.

"You can let go of me now," said Rukia in almost a whisper.

And let go of her he did. And he scratched the back of his head, very much like Kaien, except that Rukia found Ichigo much more appealing. Maybe it's because his mop of orange hair is much more interesting..?

"You should watch where you're going," said Kurosaki.

"I did, but I couldn't see properly," said Rukia defiantly, dusting off her clothes. "It's not _entirely_ my fault."

"But you're still to blame," said Kurosaki, and he began picking up the fallen books. Rukia had no choice but to help him. "Where were you heading, anyway?" he asked.

"The library."

"I'll help you," said Kurosaki, straightening up with more than half of the books, which left Rukia with a lighter burden.

"I can do this on my own," said Rukia. She tried to reach for the other books, but Kurosaki raised them well above her range. He smirked. "Tch, troublesome midget."

Rukia frowned. "Meddlesome idiot," she retorted, as she followed the orange-head who was already halfway down the stairs. But then she stopped. "What did you call me?"

Kurosaki raised a brow. And braced himself for an attack. But it didn't come.

"You called me a midget," said Rukia quietly, but it sounded as though she was talking to herself. "And without thinking, I called you an idiot."

It was a bit too much for the Strawberry to comprehend. "Yes, I called you a midget, and you branded me with idiot. So?"

"It felt like an instinct, an impulse," said Rukia, and their eyes met. For a while, she was lost in his eyes. "Almost like a reflex action."

"Well, duh, when someone insults you, you're inclined to get back at him right?" asked Kurosaki. A faint hope was starting to spark inside him. Maybe she _did_ remember him.

"It's not like that," said Rukia. She struggled to put the feeling into words, but failed. "It's too hard to explain."

Kurosaki frowned as his hopes came crashing down. Why the hell did she forget about him? "I bet is is." And he started walking again, easily balancing the mass of books on his strong muscular arms. Rukia jogged to keep up.

They walked in silence along the quiet corridors. It was past dismissal and only a few students loittered in the hallways. When they reached the library, Rukia immediately returned the books, chatted a little with the foxy librarian Ise Nanao, and left, with Kurosaki in tow.

"How long are you going to follow me?" asked Rukia, as she made her way to the lockers to change shoes and retrieve her bag.

"Relax, Rukia," said Ichigo. "I was about to go home anyway. And my locker just happened to be next to yours."

The locker rooms were as silent as the corridors. The two both wanted to say something to ease the tension, but couldn't quite figure what to say. Rukia's head was now a pool of confused and disorganized thoughts.

_I avoided him for a week, for this? Where did the get-busy-to-forget idea go? Heck, I'm alone in the locker rooms with him and I don't know why my heart is beating rather faster than normal._ She wondered why it didn't happen when she was with Kaien. Or anybody else. It was maddening to think that he was part of her previous life, and an important part at that, but she just couldn't remember him now. She had classified him as unimportant, now worth remembering, but she worried herself with the memory of his eyes, and his familiarity in general.

"Ichigo," she found herself calling out.

He looked up. "What?"

"Before my accident, who were you to me?" asked Rukia.

Shocked crossed his face for the second time in one afternoon. But he thought for a while, and came up with nothing. He wasn't exactly a _friend_ before the accident, and he regretted that fact deeply. "We're fair acquaintances," said Ichigo. Half of him was sad that Rukia had forgotten him, and yet the other half was feeling a bit hopeful. _Maybe we could turn over a new leaf._

"Really," said Rukia, not quite believing. If he was just a fair acquaintance, why would he have such an impact on her? _Was he my boyfriend? _Rukia asked herself. He didn't seem to be the in-a-relationship type.

"Why do you think I forgot about you?" asked Rukia. Without actually knowing it, they were now walking home together.

Ichigo shook his head. "I dunno, maybe because you hated me so much."

"I don't hate you," said Rukia, and it was true. She just didn't want to be around him because he made her feel different things that were, well, different. Foreign. He was warm, and comforting and she felt rather safe with him, but it was different all the same.

"Maybe now you don't. But maybe you _did_."

Rukia thought, and thought, and thought some more, before she answered, "I may not know why I forgot about you, but I'm quite sure I couldn't have hated you." _It's embarrassing to admit, but, yes, that's what I think._

Ichigo smirked. "Is that so?" he teased. Rukia stepped on his foot to relieve herself of the embarrassment. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"That's because you're such a conceited idiot," said Rukia through gritted teeth. _And as much as I would hate myself later, I'm beginning to like you._ But she didn't tell him that, of course.

They reached Rukia's house, and they both breathed in a sigh of relief when they realized Byakuya's car still wasn't in the garage. And so was Renji's new convertible. Somehow it felt like a cliché scene in a chick flick; the part where the girl sneaks back into the house after her date with her boyfriend.

"So," said Ichigo. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Rukia as she opened the gate. "And Ichigo?" she called as he walked away. He turned back. "Thanks." She gave him a smile. And he smiled back.

"You're welcome midget." _Always. _

There were a lot of things that puzzled her all week long, and their exchange of smiles was among those things. Everything, everyone, was confusing. And yet, somehow, his smile made her feel a lot better.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, I figured they were all too harsh on Ichigo in the previous chapter, so I hope this should make up for it :) I don't know how to write a chapter about a school festival, so I'm procrastinating. PM me if you have any suggestions, 'kay? And another thing, if they were a bit OOC in this chapter, please inform me. I'd like to improve. I'm actually trying to write longer chapters, but something keeps blocking my thoughts. That's my only defense, and I'm sorry if it's not much of an excuse.

Anyway..

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER:**

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day." -- Quote from PS I Love You.

Pretty please press that button below. Gracias :)


	4. Four

DISCLAIMER: Bleach does not belong to me. So sad.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. :)

* * *

_**NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES**_

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true. But actually it's time that heals you."**  
**_

FOUR

_She shifted uneasily in her seat, trying to get comfortable with her brand new rubber shoes that were one size too small. Rukia failed. The shoes were damn tight! She was going to murder Renji for this later. What was she thinking when she let Renji buy shoes for her? She must have been out of her mind. How the hell was she supposed to run around during Gym class in these little devils?_

_"Do you have bandage strips?" she asked her seat mate to the right, finally defeated. Her classmate, she only knew him by face then, shook his head and smiled apologetically. "Thanks anyway."_

_Rukia thought of asking Momo, who surely had one for emergencies, but she was too far away, and she couldn't yell in class, of course. She looked at her other seat mate, whose face was drowned by the sunlight from the window beside him, and sighed. Desperate times call for desperate measures._

_"Hey," she called. He looked at her, and his face was blurred. "Do you have bandage strips?"_

_The guy shrugged, but he reached for his bag on the floor. He rummaged for a few moments and handed her two bandage strips. And bunny-themed ones, too. Rukia had to fight the urge to grin and squeal in excitement._

_Instead, she gave him a very modest and grateful smile. "Thanks."_

_"No problem."_

* * *

Rukia sat up with a jolt as the alarm clock fell to floor. It ceased its irritating alarm sound instantly. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the time.

"Damn, 8.30?" She dashed out of her room and saw Renji watching a cartoon about Death Gods. "Why the hell didn't you wake me up?" she demanded. "Where's Nii-sama?"

Renji didn't look, but answered, "Byakuya went ahead and told me not to wake you. He said you'd wake soon enough."

"Yeah, soon enough to discover I have thirty minutes left to get to the hospital!" she yelled as she ran to the bathroom. She ignored breakfast after her quick shower and didn't bother saying goodbye to her cousin. He was to blame if she arrived late to her appointment.

_That dream,_ she remembered. It seemed so real to her. Almost like a memory. _No_, Rukia shook her head. If it was a memory, why would the guy's face be blurred? And in that dream, she looked somewhat younger. Even her other seat mate there, Mizuiro in the present, seemed to have a few years taken off him.

_I shouldn't be thinking of these useless thoughts,_ she told herself as she reached the hospital. Finally. She practically jammed her finger into the elevator button, hoping it would take her faster to the fourth floor. It didn't, of course, but she reached Doctor Unohana's office just in time.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-san," greeted the doctor. She gestured to the seat before her desk. Rukia sat. "How are you feeling today?"

Rukia shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"Well, we shall be conducting some tests today, and I'll be asking just a few questions, since your brother already informed me about your post-traumatic amnesia and the things you've forgotten, which are not alarming at all. The tests and questions wouldn't strain you, I promise," said Doctor Unohana kindly.

Rukia only smiled as the Doctor led her to a small hospital bed behind the curtain at the left side of the spacious office. The doctor began the tests and Rukia complied to each instruction silently and as quickly as she can, wishing the check-up was over.

The doctor seemed to be satisfied as they went back to their previous seats. "You are very lucky, Kuchiki-san," said Doctor Unohana. "Your amnesia is retrograde, meaning you lost memories prior to the accident. You will not have trouble creating new memories or remembering new ideas. I take it you are not distressed or agitated?"

"No, I don't feel distressed."

"That is a very good sign," said Doctor Unohana, beaming.

"Will I recover?" asked Rukia worriedly, her mind on the paper cranes.

"Most probably, yes."

"When?"

"That I cannot answer. An amnesiac could take seconds, hours, weeks, months or even years to recover. Some don't regain their memories at all." The doctor saw the shock cross Rukia's pale face. "But do not worry, you _will_ recover."

Rukia nodded, trying to ingrain in her mind that she would indeed recover. It was all she could hope for.  
"Is there anything else you've forgotten, besides the accident and the origami in your room?"

Rukia thought of Ichigo. But if she told the doctor, she might tell her brother. And Byakuya might get the wrong idea. "No, I believe that is all."

"Well, I guess, you should be okay until our next meeting. I will just inform your brother about my findings, you can go home now," said Doctor Unohana.

Rukia thought for a moment, and Doctor Unohana noticed the her hesitation to leave. She smiled kindly. "Your brother is currently in a meeting, and it could extend for hours. Go home and rest, I'll take it from here."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Rukia as the doctor escorted her to the door.

"Oh, just doing my job."

* * *

Rukia sighed. Even though the things she had forgotten were indeed unimportant, she still felt a chasm inside her because of their absence and the peculiar longing to reach out to them. Insignificant as they were, they were still memories. Her own memories. She was determined to know why she keeps paper cranes in her room and why Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to have such a huge part in her life.

Lost in contemplation, she didn't see when a man in white bumped into her.

"Oof!" Rukia fell flat on her butt, and the man in white helped her up.

"Forgive me, my child!" He said loudly in an almost comical voice. "My mind was wandering in the clouds that I failed to notice such a fine woman before me!"

Rukia dusted off her clothes before smiling politely. She couldn't help it. The doctor looked friendly and somewhat familiar. "It's alright," said Rukia brightly. "Were you hurt, Doctor..?"

The man brandished his name plate. It bore the name 'Kurosaki Isshin', which made Rukia choke, thought it went unnoticed.

"No, no, I am alright. How about--"

"Hey, who are you abusing this time?" came an all-too familiar and irritated voice, cutting Isshin off. Rukia turned and amethyst met amber.

Isshin giggled, and it fit him horribly that people turned to look. "Oooh, Ichigo! What a fateful meeting!"

"Fateful, my ass. You told me to bring you lunch, you old goat," said Ichigo, as he shoved a lunchbox under Isshin's nose.

Rukia couldn't believe her luck, or rather her _lack_ of it. Of all people, time and places, fate had made her bump literally into Kurosaki Ichigo's father and, figuratively, into the Strawberry himself. It seemed odd that too many coincidences happened when Ichigo was around.

"Ah, don't tell such lies in front of this young lady here!" exclaimed Isshin dramatically, and before his son could retort, he whacked Ichigo on the head.

"What the hell was that for?" yelled Ichigo, apparently unaware that their graceless exchange was catching the attention of everyone in the corridor.

Isshin gasped loudly. "Now you're shouting in her presence! Such shameful behavior!"

"You're the one who's shameful here!"

The elder Kurosaki made an attempt to punch the younger, but Ichigo deflected the hit.

"You should make it up to her!"

"For what?"

"Doctor," started Rukia, planning to stop the father and son, but she wasn't able to finish.

"Buy her ice cream!"

"Heck, I don't have to!"

"Yes, you do!" Isshin tried another attack and succeeded. "You should be a gentleman, you should know--"

"Shut the hell up!" Without warning, Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand and started pulling her away from his nutty father. Rukia tried to stop him and plant her feet on the floor, but, of course, Ichigo overpowered her.

"Have fun, Ichigo!" they heard Isshin shout, even though they were already in another corridor. "And I want grandsons soon too!"

It was probably a good thing that Ichigo was too intent on getting away, for he didn't see as Rukia blushed. Not a word passed until they reached the first floor, where Rukia finally remembered that she was supposed to protest.

"Let go of me already!" said Rukia as they passed through the exit.

"Not until we're out of my father's reach." And as Rukia tried to pry his hand off of hers, she noticed how tight his grip was and yet it wasn't hurting her.

After a while, they reached the park, where the Strawberry finally loosened his grip and let her go, before parking his butt on the nearest bench. Rukia followed, but didn't sit.

"Are you angry with you dad?" she asked.

Ichigo looked at her quizzically, before remembering that she didn't _remember_. "It's just our normal way of saying 'hello'. Sorry you had to see that." He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the bench. "That old man.."

"Your dad's a doctor?"

He opened an eye to look at her before he answered. "Well, no. He's just a janitor who stole one of the lab coats." Rukia stepped on his foot. "Of course he's a doctor! You just saw him, didn't you?"

Rukia kicked him this time, and Ichigo doubled over in pain.

"I was asking _nicely_."

"Well, you asked a stupid question. So the answer was stupid. Tch." Honestly, his life comes nearer and nearer to its close whenever his father or the midget was around. By now, he could even file a charge against them for their violence!

"He works in the hospital too," Rukia mused, wondering why she had failed to notice him in her stay there and in her frequent visits to her brother. "Is he new there?"

"No, my dad owns a clinic in front of our house. He only comes over at the hospital when they call him for a meeting or something."

"Oh."

Another moment of silence passed, before Ichigo gathered his guts to ask her something.

"Wanna go get some ice cream?"

The petite woman didn't budge. "A while ago, you were having an argument with your dad. Now you're going to do as he said. Are you mental?"

"I was asking _nicely_."

Rukia shrugged. "I want two scoops of chocolate."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were back to that bench, enjoying their ice cream.

"You eat too slowly," said Ichigo as he swallowed the last bit of his cone.

"That's because I take time to enjoy things."

"So you enjoy spending time with me?" asked Ichigo before he could stop himself. "Well, I mean, since you haven't run away yet.. and since you're taking too long to finish a single cone of ice cream.. does that mean that you're.. er, enjoying this?"

Rukia blushed and looked down, almost colliding the cone of ice cream with her nose, not knowing that Ichigo was trying to hide his blush as well. She looked at her watch and found a way to avoid the question.

"Shoot, lunch time!"

"So?"

"I have to get home," she said, already a few steps away from him, each step taken reluctantly.

"Already?" _You always know how to avoid me, don't you?_

"Renji, I mean, my cousin can't cook to save his life. He'll starve." She was almost out of the park, Ichigo following.

"Can't he just eat out?" shouted Ichigo, still trying to keep her.

"Nope, sorry!" Rukia shouted back. "Thanks for the ice cream! And tell your father it was nice meeting him!"

Ichigo gave up, but he was smiling as he shook his head and muttered, "Like hell I would."

* * *

"It's already been decided!" shouted Hitsugaya Toshiro over the deafening noise. He turned to the cowering Momo behind him and rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you can't do anything to change it?"

"No, Shiro-kun, I'm so sorry," she answered worriedly. "The Student Council already approved of it, and I'm afraid we'll have to push through with it."

Toshiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn't like it any more than they did, but he was the Class Representative. He had to _make_ them like it. They had no right to object, even though it was a mystery how they landed with that kind of possible humiliation.

Class 3-2 was still making a great deal of whining when he opened his eyes again.

"Keigo, stop making that weird sound," said Toshiro wearily, just as Ukitake-sensei, their adviser, entered. The class piped down instantly.

"Eh? I thought you'd like what I picked for you?"

There was another uproar, this time joined by Toshiro. "A horror house! Who would like that?"

"It means we have to put on sticky face paint," came Yumichika's voice from behind the room.

"We want maid cafe!" shouted Keigo, earning affirmation with most of the male population and a painful uppercut from Arisawa Tatsuki.

"Pervert," muttered Toshiro. "You just want to see the girls in maid costumes!" Cheers from the boys again.

Ukitake-sensei cleared his throat and the noise died down again. "It's not just a horror house, I hope you've noticed that. It's a cafe too! A horror cafe!" Nobody joined his enthusiasm, and the class groaned instead.

Rukia listened silently on her seat. As one of the organizers of the Student Festival, she already knew about the horror cafe Ukitake-sensei himself submitted for approval, and had no choice but to go along with it. And besides, wearing costumes for a horror cafe seemed to be a lot preferable than wearing skimpy maid outfits.

"Inoue-san!" called Ukitake-sensei over the noise. The girl raised her hand. "You're an elite member of the handicrafts club, yes?" She nodded as she rose from her seat. "Well, then I assign the costume making to you. Those who would like to help her please raise your hand. And Inoue-san you may sit, thank you very much."

Momo took down the names of the volunteers and Inoue Orihime sat down. As she did so, Rukia thought she saw her throw a meaningful glance at Ichigo, who was staring at the window. Rukia wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but it seemed as though that glance held a deeper meaning that she couldn't comprehend.

It made her feel a little insecure.

* * *

A/N: It's not good, but I needed a bridge to connect the previous chapter and the next one. The School Festival is next, and I do hope you'd look forward to it. I tried hard to make it longer than the previous chapters, I swear! I really feel bad about this chapter. But oh, well.

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER:**

**"Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies" --Elizabeth Bowen**

I know it's bad. So let me know what you think.

Press that precious button, thanks :)


	5. Five

Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach. And I don't own the song.

* * *

_**NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES**_

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true. But actually it's time that heals you."**  
**_

FIVE

"Good morning," greeted Byakuya without looking up from his newspaper.

Rukia grabbed a toast from the table. "Morning, Nii-sama."

"Oi, aren't you going to sit down?" asked Renji.

"I can't," she said as she took a bite. "We still have preparations for our booth." She was already at the door when she remembered something. "I'll be home late, so don't wait for me at dinner!"

This was it. The School Festival that they all worked hard for. The volunteers and the Student Council had made sure that the festival would be fail-proof, checking and rechecking every facility several times and painstakingly going over every detail to make sure everything would go well for the students and the guests. The president and vice president even delivered a pep talk to the whole school. Or at least Kaien did. Uryuu sounded more like he was threatening them to behave and do everything right or else.

Even Rukia's class cooperated, though their Festival attraction wasn't exactly what they wanted or expected, thanks to the eccentric choice of their adviser. A week from the festival, everybody was already enjoying the idea of serving the customers in monster costumes.

Rukia gritted her teeth as she remembered the costumes. Her own costume. True, she had been spared from maid outfits, but her two-sizes-too-small costume was even worse. It was _way_ worse.

_"I made costumes that fit all our personalities!" announced Orihime happily as her assistants distributed the costumes yesterday. _

It was as though she purposely handed them the costumes at the last minute to prevent them from doing any revisions to their costumes, which was just great. Really.

"It fits my personality, huh," breathed Rukia as she reached their classroom. Some early birds were already setting the tables and the exposed kitchen at the side of the room already looked busy. One of her classmates gave her a thumbs-up to let her know that everything was going as planned.

"Time to work."

* * *

"Oooh."

"Aaah."

The whole class stood by the door, wiping their sweat-drenched eyebrows, admiring the product of their hard work. The horror cafe looked.. horrific.

Each table was decorated with either a large pumpkin with candles in it or a tombstone with glow-in-the-dark letters. A thick layer of fog swirled on the floor, courtesy of a contraption they rented from a joke shop. They hung plastic cobwebs on the ceilings and windows, which were adorned with dark curtains to block the brilliant sunlight outside and to add drama too. As for their makeshift kitchen, the artists of the class cut and painted a sheet of plywood into an eerie-looking castle and brought it up to separate the kitchen from the cafe. Ghostly music filled the room, too. All in all, it was the perfect setting for boyfriends who wished to score on their girlfriends.

"Marvelous! Just like how I imagined it!" exclaimed Ukitake-sensei, suddenly appearing among them, clapping his hands. "I just knew you'd make it!"

The class cheered.

"We have still have almost an hour before the opening. Time to head to the showers and change," said Toshiro.

* * *

"Ah, Rukia-chan, you look really cute!" said Momo as they made their way back to their cafe. Momo was now a dark version of TinkerBell.. something.

"Not to mention eye-catching," commented Rangiku, seeing as how everyon in the hallway seemed to have their eyes on them. Rangiku was dressed up as a witch. A cleavage-exposing one.

"Shut up, you two. You're making me feel more self-conscious," said Rukia, blushing as she tried to pull her costume lower to cover a little more skin,

"Well, it's the truth, honey," said Rangiku.

The door opened just as they reached it and out came a very, _very_ sexy monster. Rangiku whistled as they examined what Frankenstein Ichigo was, or rather, what he was _not_, wearing. He donned a pair of tattered cargo pants and _nothing_ on his upper extremities, except for painted-on stitches that crissed and crossed on the planes of his chest. On his head was a headband that made him appear to have a nail through his head.

Rukia stared --Kami-sama, she forgot to breathe-- at those abs. Just stared. _He's eighteen for cryin' out loud! _thought Rukia. _He has no right to have _those _abs._

Ichigo, on the other hand, henpecked by white wolf Toshiro to get out and attract customers, opened the door to find a blushing Rukia in a knock-out costume. Those legs. Man, did he ever see _legs_. He was drowned by her, er, light for a moment, until Rangiku and Momo giggled.

"We'll leave you two alone," said Rangiku and pulled Momo inside the room, before anyone could react.

He gulped.

"A devil, huh?"

It was obvious that Rukia despised her costume, from her headband from which two horns protruded, to the red garment that seemed to cover her body up to only a few inches of skin from her waist and her long red gloves, down to her boots.

"Not one word, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo smirked. "What? It does fit your personality." He earned an uppercut for that. "The hell, Rukia! That's exactly why you resemble a devil!"

_That's why I don't like this costume. It's like Orihime's telling me that I _am _a devil._

"I told you not to say anything!"

"This is a free country! I can say whatever the hell I want!"

"You don't know me!" said Rukia defiantly. "How dare you compare me to a devil!"

"Oh yeah? You yell at me and punch me and kick me. So to me, you really are a devil!" said Ichigo. "Tch, you even grew yourself a tail and two horns."

It cost her almost every ounce of her willpower to prevent herself from hitting him again. Doing that would only strengthen his point, and that was the last thing she needed.

A few weeks ago, he was a stranger to her. And now they're bickering like long-time friends. And even if Rukia wouldn't admit the fact to anybody and to herself, she liked it.

"Shut up, Ichigo."

He shook his head, as if he wasn't able to believe it. "I finally won an argument with you."

Rukia stomped on his foot. "I said shut up!"

The two heard a whistle and they both spun around and saw Kaien with a group of third years. Ichigo noticed the way he eyed Rukia and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Hey, Rukia, what's your booth?" asked Kaien.

"It's a horror cafe," said Rukia brightly, smiling at Kaien's group. After all, they were potential customers. "Come on in."

"Maybe I will, if you'll be my waitress," said Kaien, and made an attempt to place an arm around her waist. Ichigo recognized it immediately and grabbed Rukia's hand and pulled her to his side.

"Don't worry, she will be," said Ichigo, his voice low and cautious. "Just get in."

Kaien looked as if he was about to retort for a moment, but then he shrugged instead and led his friends in.

"What did you do that for?" demanded Rukia.

"He can't just touch you, can he?" said Ichigo quietly, checking himself. He knew he had no right to be possessive, but he just felt the impulse of getting her out of his reach.

Rukia raised and eyebrow. "But you can. Is that it?"

"No!" exclaimed Ichigo. "I mean, yes! No, you know--"

Her left eyebrow rose another centimetre higher.

"No, I mean, yes, of course, but I have no dirty intentions!"

She fought hard not to smile. And just as she was about to lose, Inoue Orihime came. She was an, er, orange ghoul..?

"Kuchiki-san!"

"Yes?"

"Our first customers specifically asked for you. They refused to give their orders unless you were the one to wait on them," said Orihime. She tugged at Rukia's hand with a force that was a little more than necessary.

"Those bastards," muttered Ichigo.

"I'll be there in a minute," said Rukia.

"But Kuchiki-san!" cried Orihime. "They already causing trouble inside!"

"Alright, alright," said Rukia, carefully disengaging her hand from Orihime's. The bubbly girl nodded and smiled at Ichigo before returning to the room.

Ichigo looked at Rukia one more time, shaking his head. "If that guy tries to do something like that again," warned Ichigo.

Rukia let the smile break out. "You really are an idiot."

* * *

The news about sexy witches and stud monsters in Class 3-2 spread around the school like wildfire. The customers kept on arriving, that by midday, the class had no choice but to ask them to form an orderly line in the hallway and get numbers.

Needless to say, their busy schedule, and also the fact that they were both hot commodities, gave Rukia and Ichigo barely any chances to interact with each other. Rukia didn't fail to notice though that Orihime seemed to bump into Ichigo a lot as they bustled around the room to wait on customers. And Ichigo saw Kaien at least four times still after his first visit to the cafe.

"Rukia-chan," called Momo. Ichigo's ears perked up. "Shiba-kun requests for your presence again." Okay, now it was Kaien's sixth time in the cafe. Doesn't he have Student Council duties to attend to? Ichigo would bet anything Kaien would just order a single slice of oatmeal cake and spend at least thirty minutes just playing with it and another ten minutes actually eating the damned cake.

"I can't, Momo, I'm on kitchen duty now," he heard Rukia answer. True enough, Ichigo (satisfied) saw as she put on an apron and enter the kitchen.

Rukia breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she disappeared behind the wall. Here, she wouldn't be able to see Ichigo. But at least she also wouldn't witness Orihime flirting with him.

"Oatmeal cake!"

She snapped out of her reverie. "Comin' up!"

* * *

"Oh, I'm so glad that's over!"

The day had ended, and the class was exhausted. Their horror cafe was a hit.

"I think we did really well," said Toshiro, apparently the only one who still had the strength to stand and talk both at the same time. "Who knows? Maybe we'll bag the Best Class Award this year."

"I'm just glad there's no classes until tomorrow," groaned Keigo, sprawled on the floor. He had worn himself out by attracting customers by the school gates wearing a vampire costume.

"Hey, Momo," called Rangiku loudly. "When's the next school-wide activity?"

The class waited but no one answered, and all of them saw Momo already asleep just at Toshiro's feet, clutching the white ears that Toshiro wore as part of his costume. The silver-haired blushed furiously as everybody grinned sheepishly at him.

He coughed, using it as an excuse to look down and hide his blush. "If you're waiting for the next activity that includes nonstop merrymaking, then I think you should look forward to the field trip on or before winter."

Rukia smiled. She like winter. It meant snow.

"Now, Rangiku, wake her up," said Toshiro. "We still have the Night Festival."

The mention of the Night Festival seemed to have given them energy and motivation. The enthusiasm was thick as they bustled around to change out of their sweaty costumes. For them the Night Festival meant socializing with the other sections and dancing.

* * *

Neither knew what happened. He just asked her without thinking and she said yes without thinking too. He took her hand in his and placed his other hand on her tiny waist while she laid her hand on his chest, for placing it on his shoulder would be straining and uncomfortable. The music started.

_You're the sky that I fell through_  
_And I remember the view_  
_Whenever I'm holding you_

They avoided each other's eyes, for they both knew that it would cause they downfall.

"Are we really dancing?" asked Rukia, glad that the only illumination was the bonfire made by the Seniors. It was behind her, therefore Ichigo couldn't see the pink tinge in her cheeks.

_The sun hung from a string_  
_Looking down on the world_  
_As it warms over everything_

"How should I know?" answered Ichigo. He knew it was stupid asking her to dance, but how could he regret that now, when he was enjoying himself circling the bonfire with her?

"Idiot."

"Give me a break. Stop calling me idiot for a day, will ya?" he asked exasperatedly. This little woman was enough to drive the male half of the student body nuts. Seriously.

_Chills run down my spine_  
_As our fingers entwine_  
_And your sighs harmonize with mine_

"No." _Because I like you that way. And no matter how harsh or weird it sounds, our quarrels make me feel as though I haven't missed anything._

"What's up with you and that Shiba Kaien anyway?" asked Ichigo.

"Well, what's with you and Orihime?"

"I asked you first!"

"Why, are you jealous?"

"Dammit, Rukia, just answer the question!"

"Profanity won't get you anywhere."

"Rukia!"

The finally looked at each other.

_Unmistakably_  
_I can still feel your heart beat fast_  
_When you dance with me_

For a moment, Ichigo's own heartbeat drowned the sound of the music. For a moment, that midget was everything he saw. And he liked the view. Damn, he loved it. He liked the way her hands fit into his perfectly, how they matched each other's movements flawlessly. It seemed as though they were made for each other.

How he wished he never chose to let her go.

_We got older and I should have known  
(Do you feel alive?)  
That I'd feel colder when I walk alone  
(Oh but you'll survive)  
So I may as well ditch my dismay_

Rukia smiled. His face looked less troubled tonight, even though his signature scowl was still there. She liked the way the flames seemed to dance in his eyes and how his warmth comforted her more than the fire did. She wished to remember everything, so her doubt and hesitation would just burn out and vanish.

_Bombs away, bombs away_

She wished to remember him, even just for one night. Even just for tonight.

_He let go of her hand and his face was clouded with worry and concern._

_"We've loved from the moment we were born, or from the moment we learned to think. And I haven't met anyone who says there's a right time to fall in love, so don't give up yet, Rukia."_

_She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheeks._

_"I won't Ichigo. I promise."_

The smile disappeared from her face. She just knew she had to run. As far as she as possible. Away from him.

_Circle me and the needle moves gracefully_  
_Back and forth_  
_If my heart was a compass you'd be north_

Ichigo blinked. One moment she was there in his arms, and in another, she wasn't anymore.

_Risk it all 'coz I'll catch you if you fall  
Wherever you go  
If my heart was a house, you'd be home_

"Damn."

* * *

She wrenched the door open and felt better the moment the cold air hit her face. She always felt better when she was in high places.

That memory. So vivid. So perplexing. Unnerving. Without wanting to, she ran away. She just knew she had to, or she would have broken down or something. Her head ached a bit, but she managed it well. The memory bothered her more than the pain did.

It was clear now that they had an intimate relationship. But what?

_"Don't give up yet, Rukia."_ Don't give up on what?

She sighed, taking in the fresh air again. It calmed her.

"Figured you'd be here."

Rukia turned her head and there he was.

"Why did you follow me?"

"I didn't. I looked for you," said Ichigo, taking a seat beside her. "It's not nice to run off like that so suddenly," he shook his head, "honestly."

They sighed at the same time.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"Hn?"

"Why did you bleach your hair?"

Ichigo's scowl deepened. She forgot that much?

"I didn't Rukia. This is my natural hair color."

"Oh. It must be a contributing factor to your idiocy," said Rukia, grinning.

"Shut up."

"What were we before my accident?"

She needed, heck, wanted to know. And his previous answer just wasn't enough.

"I already answered that question, didn't I?" He never liked repeating things.

"Yes, but I didn't believe you," said Rukia. "But I got the feeling that you weren't telling me the truth, so I asked again."

Ichigo tried to think. Somehow the best he came up with wasn't much of an answer.

"Human, Rukia," she didn't understand, and was about to ask him to clarify his answer, when he added, "we've been too human."

It surprised her. "What.. what did we do?" she asked quietly.

"Well, you did what you promised to do," said Ichigo, his voice strained and somewhat regretful. "I, on the other hand, made mistakes that nobody thought I'd do but I did. And that's where things ended. Or rather, where we both started again. But separately."

"Your idiocy must have gotten the better of you," said Rukia faintly. She barely understood what he said. But somehow, his answer just matched with her flashback. _"You did what you promised to do,"_ seemed to match with _"I won't. I promise, Ichigo."_.

"You could say that," answered Ichigo. "But you gotta stop calling me an idiot sometime soon." He looked at her and smiled at what he saw. She was already asleep on his shoulder.

"Time to go home," he whispered, before he gently lifted her onto his back and carried her. Carefully, so as not to wake her.

He carried her home that night. And reluctantly, very reluctantly, he woke her up when they reached her house.

"Rukia, wake up," he called gently. "You're home."

She opened her eyes and Ichigo placed her on her feet. She was surprisingly outraged.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded.

"You looked so tired. I thought you'd yell at me if I disturbed your sleep," explained Ichigo.

"You shouldn't have brought me home!" _But I'm glad you did._

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice."

"Leave!" _Don't._

"The heck? I just got here!"

"I said leave," she repeated in a calmer tone.

"What are you so worried about, anyway?"

"Because," she looked at the garage and saw the car she was dreading to see, "my brother might see you."

"So?"

"I don't know! He might get the wrong idea!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at her out of exasperation. Always, _always_, expect her to worry about the silliest and most trivial matters. He figured he should have been used to it by now, but he wasn't.

"Fine, I'll leave."

"Good." _Not really. _

"Well, see you tomorrow."

"Go to school early, we have to clean up today's mess," Rukia reminded him.

"Sure, sure." Ichigo took his first step away reluctantly. "Did.. did you hear everything I said back there at the rooftop?"

Rukia smiled. "Yes, Ichigo, I did. Thank you for telling me the truth." _I don't know why it made me sad, but still, thank you._

"How did you know I wasn't lying?"

Rukia shrugged. "Good night."

"Yeah."

Slowly, she made her way to their house. And quite unexpectedly, tears she didn't know she was holding back fell relentlessly as soon as the door closed behind her. Rukia, caught offguard, slid down the floor and placed her hands on her mouth, trying to suppress the sound of her sobs.

Crying hasn't always been her thing. She hated it. It provided no comfort. It relieved her of her heavy emotions, but still, she hated crying. She hated giving in to the things that scare her.

"Rukia..?"

"Nii-sama?"

Byakuya, like Rukia, hated tears, especially if its his sister's. He acted out of impulse, something he rarely does, and approached her.

She tried to stop crying, but failed and only cried harder. It was shameful. Just what would her brother say?

"Rukia."

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly. and wiped the tears on her cheeks, even though more of them fell. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it. I.. I--"

"It's that boy again." It wasn't a question.

"You know him?" _I don't and I really, really want to. I want to know, to remember him, but I can't because I forgot._

"Yes."

"Why can't I remember him?" It was rare for Rukia to have an outburst like this. Even as a kid, Byakuya remembered, she hardly ever cried.

He held gently, enveloping her in his arms. It was something he never did before, something he never dreamed of doing. He always thought he was the big brother, the sane one, the one who has to look after Rukia, heck, even after Renji, and he was supposed to be strict and cold if that's what it takes to protect her.

She cried and he stayed there and held her. Delicately, for she might break.

* * *

A/N: Yay, School Festival :)

I would like to apologize to Aizawa Ayumu. _Unchangeable Word_ was really good, and it fits the story and the two characters well, but I didn't want to write the Japanese lyrics because most readers wouldn't understand it. Then I thought of writing the translation instead, but then it wouldn't look like a song. Thanks for giving me the idea anyway!

The title of the song they danced to was _If My Heart Was a House _by Owl City. Hope you liked it!

Their Festival attraction was inspired by a certain manga scan. You've probably seen it, too. I sooo adore Frankenstein Ichigo. :)

About Byakuya. He was OOC, I know! But I didn't really want him to look like the stoic big brother, so I made him like that. Forgive me. ^^

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER:**

**"Oh, if my voice could reach back through the past, I'd whisper in your ear.. "Oh darling, I wish you were here." -- _Vanilla Twilight_, Owl City**

See you in the next chapter :)


	6. Six

Disclaimer: So, I do not own Bleach. Shoot me.

A/N: Sorry the update took long. I was supposed to publish this the other day but we lost our internet connection. Something got unplugged when my grandmother cleaned the computer area, as it turned out. Anyway..

* * *

**_NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE PAPER CRANES_**

_"A thousand paper cranes will make your wish come true, but actually, it's time that heals you."_

SIX

Scraps of colored paper littered the floor and in the middle of it all was a very flustered Rukia, sitting cross-legged, holding yet another piece of paper. She tried to make a single paper crane and it resulted in to this mess. After almost an hour of struggling, she was still unable to make one.

At first, she thought of reading books about origami, but then she figured it would be too bothersome to go out to the bookstore and search for an origami book, which may or may not include directions on how to make paper cranes. Then she thought of searching for instructions in the Internet, but then it dawned on her that it didn't feel right. She probably learned it from someone, Rukia thought, and that she would remember it in time. If the paper cranes were indeed unimportant, she was still unsure, it wouldn't be a problem if she takes her time remembering how to make one.

"Just one more," she breathed as she threw the paper to the floor. "One more until I can get my wish, whatever it was. It can wait, right?"

"Talking to oneself is never a good sign, Rukia," said Renji as he casually entered her room and sat on her bed, the only surface that was paper-free. "And what the hell happened to your room?"

"I'm just trying to make a paper crane," said Rukia, cutting another paper into a square. She looked at her cousin. "Were you the one who taught me how to make them?"

Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow. "Do I look like I waste my time sitting around folding papers?"

Rukia frowned. "Fine, I was just asking."

She folded the paper in half and thought of what to do next. She came up with nothing.

"Hey," Renji sat beside her on the floor. "Does your head still hurt?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, does your head still hurt sometimes? You know what I mean!" Renji was never good with words, and was easily frustrated. The fact that he was the driver the night the accident happened still nagged him endlessly, too.

Rukia, taken aback, blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm asking if _you're_ okay. I'm fine, but I'm not sure if you are."

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Renji's eyebrows knitted together. "Because you just hit your head a little too hard and had amnesia. Why would you be okay?"

"Because I am." She folded the paper again, but it was as far as she went with the paper in her hands, and with all the papers in the room as well.

"I know I've said it too many times already, but I'm sorry. You know that, right?"

She smiled. "Yes, Renji, both Nii-sama and I know that already. And we already forgave you, didn't we? Not that I blamed you in the first place. And besides, Nii-sama even got you another car to replace the one destroyed by the accident. What more can you ask for?"

He shook his head. "It may be easy for you to forgive me, but it's not the same for me. I almost got you killed. I didn't, but I'm still responsible--"

"For something that already happened," interjected Rukia. "Shut it, okay?"

Her cousin smirked, though still unsure. "So, do you remember everything now? Have your memories returned?"

She tipped her head to the side, thinking. "I get flashbacks, but that's all."

"You remember that bastard now?"

Rukia didn't like his tone, nor his choice of words. But her curiosity overpowered her disdain. "Who?"

"I can't believe you forgot your own ex-boyfriend!" exclaimed Renji, giving her a look that expressed exactly what he said.

"I don't know who you're talking about, Renji," said Rukia calmly. As far as she remembered, she had no boyfriend since birth, and even if she had, she would have made sure Renji wouldn't know. He'd only tease her endlessly or torment whoever the guy was.

"Seriously, you don't remember that Kurosaki?"

"Ichigo was my boyfriend?" The paper in her hands crumpled as her fingers closed around it. She repeated the thought in her mind to fully grasp its meaning. _Ichigo was my boyfriend?_ It made sense in a way, but it didn't seem possible.

"You mean you really don't know?"

"Do I look like I have an idea?" demanded Rukia.

"Well, I thought you knew!"

"Why did you ask anyway?" asked Rukia, her pulse racing. The idea of having that Strawberry for a boyfriend.. was indescribable. It was confusing and warm and worrisome and _nice_. It was hard to decide.

"Because I hated him from the start and I thought of teasing you by asking if you remember him, because I know you'd get annoyed! I didn't even know you forgot about him! Why didn't you tell me?" asked Renji, getting to his feet in outrage. Not really anger, just shock of some kind.

"It's none of your business anyway, is it?" asked Rukia shortly. She was saving the space in her head to contemplate the new wave of information.

Renji hated Ichigo.

Ichigo was her _ex_-boyfriend.

Renji asked if she remembered him, because he was only teasing her. So he thought it would annoy her if he asked.

Ichigo was her _ex_-boyfriend.

She felt like repeating it, to rub it in, so her head would absorb it. _Ex_-boyfriend. _Ex_-boyfriend. _Ex_-boyfriend. _Ex_-boyfriend.

Past. Done. Forgotten.

Ichigo was her _ex_-boyfriend.

"Ichigo was my _ex_-boyfriend?" She just had to repeat it one more time, and verbally, so Renji could either confirm or deny it. Rukia dreaded the answer.

Renji frowned again. "You never really called yourselves boyfriend and girlfriend, didn't you?" Rukia gave him a severe look that conveyed her answer. Duh, she doesn't remember. "But you were like that. In a relationship. Kind of."

"I don't get it," answered Rukia.

"Neither did I. I mean, being your cousin and all, I know you've gone bonkers since you learned to talk, but be in a relationship with him? That was a new level of insanity. What were you thinking?" Renji looked at his cousin and his blood ran cold with the look she gave him. _Get serious, or else._ "I don't know, okay? Like I already stated, you didn't exactly brand yourselves with boyfriend or girlfriend. You were just.." he struggled to put his thought into words,"..exclusively dating?"

"Did Nii-sama know?"

"Everybody did."

"What?" Now she was the one outraged. "Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"You mean your friends didn't tell you?"

"Nobody did, Renji!"

"Well, as I said, I didn't like him, and neither did your brother. We just accepted him because you liked him! And I repeat, I do _not_ know that you forgot about him. As for your friends, I have no idea why they didn't tell you, so don't lash out on me!"

Rukia got to her feet too, hoping to make a statement, but failed. Renji, and everybody else, was just too damn taller than her.

"Well, tell me why you didn't let me see him when he came here with flowers!"

"Because I didn't like him! That's all there is to it!"

Rukia pushed her cousin towards the door, fuming. She was so angry that tears of rage welled up in her eyes. She was angry at everybody, even at Ichigo, for telling her _enough_, not everything. _I've had enough crap_, she thought.

The tattooed man chose to watch his petite cousin struggle, rather than walk out like she evidently wanted him to do at the moment. She needed someone right around now, and he was the closest.

"Oi.."

She gave up and let her arms down, trying hard not to let the tears fall. Nobody told her that _he_ had been her boyfriend. Or something like that. She felt so betrayed. By Ichigo, especially. If they were done, then why was he acting so nice to her after her accident?

"Did we break up just before the accident?" She might have been very depressed that night, maybe that's why she was willing to break the rules just to go out. Maybe to let loose. Maybe to forget. Maybe to see him? There were a million possibilities.

"No, you went your separate ways ages ago before the accident. You forgot that too?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I forgot about everything related to Ichigo."

Renji placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Maybe not now, but eventually. Who knows? Forgetting him might be a good thing."

It confused her. They broke up ages ago, but Ichigo's acting nice to her, and she likes him now. How was she going to act around him now? Around her friends who never told her anything?

"Why the hell did you come to my room anyway?" asked Rukia, slightly wishing she never found out anything. She knew for sure it would change the way she looked at Ichigo; for the better or worse, she wasn't sure. If they 'went their separate ways', then something must have gone wrong. If that's the case, then liking him now would be _wrong_. Somehow.

"I came to give you this," said Renji, taking something from his pocket, glad that she was at least trying to change the complicated subject.

Rukia held out her hand to receive the gift and Renji fastened a silver bracelet around her tiny wrist. It had a single charm on it, and it was a bunny. She smiled instantly.

"You bought this for me?"

"Well, Byakuya did. But he told me to give it to you and pretend that it was me who bought it," said Renji, scratching his cheek with his forefinger. "Don't tell him I told you, 'kay?"

"For a bracelet like this? I can keep my mouth shut for a month," said Rukia, beaming. "Thank you."

"Anything for the princess."

He took her hand both of them sat back down.

"Tell me when something's bothering you, okay? Don't surprise me like that ever again," said Renji.

"Look who's talking. Who dropped the 'he's-your-ex-boyfriend' bomb anyway?"

"I know. But still, you don't have to keep something as big as that from me."

"I was afraid of what Nii-sama would say."

"But I'm not him, you can tell me. Promise me, you twerp. You made me worry there."

"Promise."

They sat in silence until Renji decided to go. He said he still had to go to school.

"Aren't you going to tell me anything?" asked Rukia as she went with her cousin to the door.

"Like what?"

"Like what happened with me and Ichigo?"

Renji grinned. "Nope. You should remember it yourself." Rukia frowned. "And besides, I think you're getting along fine now. I saw you the other night." With that, he winked and walked away, leaving Rukia wondering who else had seen Ichigo carry her home.

* * *

Usually, whenever Toshiro announced something, the class would have an outrage. Either they were too excited or they were pissed. And as usual, today they were pissed. Well, the girls were. They were the sensible ones.

"Why would anyone go to a beach on this cold weather?"

"Because it's a field trip," answered Toshiro curtly, a vein throbbing in his temples.

"It's almost winter. It's too cold to go to a beach."

"Sorry," it was Momo who answered this time. "But the Science Club wanted to do some extensive research about the plant and animal life on the beach, and requested it to the Student Council. Kurotsuchi-sensei backed them up, so we had to accept the request."

The girls frowned.

"Why do we have to suffer? If they want to do some research, they should do it on their own!"

"There's no need to include everyone!"

"Field trip is for _fun_!" yelled a very pissed Rangiku. She gained affirmation with almost everyone.

"Shut up!" bellowed Toshiro, a vain attempt to quiet the class. It was then that their beloved adviser entered the room to save the day once again.

"Hitsugaya-san, Hinamori-san, please take your respective seats. I shall take over from here," said Ukitake-sensei, and the two obliged, and at the same time the class quieted, much to Toshiro's annoyance.

"As they probably would have told you, it has been decided. The 3-day field trip would be to the beach," said Ukitake-sensei. Nobody answered. "But you are not to have fun only. Each of you will be given assignments about the flora and fauna around the area. The Seniors will be divided into groups of five or four for their research."

Still, the class remained quiet.

"So, behave yourselves." He said it so calmly, but the class felt the warning behind his words, which was quite scary.

"During your free time, you will be allowed to explore the resort and do as you please, but nothing more. You are not allowed to leave the premises and you are required to return to your room assignments by 9pm, your curfew. Rule-breakers have a one-week detention waiting for them when we return to school. Any questions?"

The girls still didn't like it, but they accepted their defeat. Nobody asked anything.

"Well, we still have meeting with the Student Council to finalize things about this field trip," said Ukitake-sensei, smiling. The eerie tension lifted almost immediately. "Hinamori-san, come along now."

Momo stood up and followed the teacher, while Toshiro returned to his post in front of his room.

"You heard Ukitake-sensei," he said shortly.

"Beach!" shouted Keigo, unable to contain himself.

"What now?"

"Two-piece bikinis!"

Once more, chaos reigned in the class.

"_No_!"

"Oh, yes!"

The other boys caught on quickly.

"This is better than I imagined!"

"Today must be my birthday!"

Toshiro rolled his eyes. The chaos was never going to end. Not with Keigo around.

* * *

Rukia took her seat beside Rangiku and sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped. No backing out now."

"You did bring your swimsuit, right?" asked Rangiku after arranging her things in the luggage rack.

"Of course. What else would I wear when I swim?"

Rangiku shrugged, just as Ichigo entered the bus and sat beside Chad, who was behind them. Rukia tried to prevent herself from following him with her eyes.

Rukia had not asked Rangiku or Momo whether it was true or not that Ichigo was her ex-boyfriend. She decided it would be best if she just let things happen and go with the flow. But she couldn't help feeling awkward around the Strawberry. Hopefully, he still hadn't noticed that.

Ukitake-sensei entered the bus."Everybody here?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, let's go!"

The bus started on its way, and as expected from every bus filled with high school students, noise ensued. Junk foods flew, iPods played, some slept amidst the din.

"I hope Momo's okay," said Rukia.

"Oh, she's fine. She's with the Student Council and the majority of the faculty, right?"

"That's exactly why I'm worried about her. She's not to good with crowds, remember?"

"Oh," said Rangiku. She did remember. "Well, at least she's with Kaien. That's good enough."

Rukia sat back on her seat. "Hm. Maybe."

"Want some?"

The two of them looked up and saw Ichigo holding a bag of chips. Rangiku clapped her hands enthusiastically and took a handful of chips. Rukia, on the other hand, looked at him directly for the first time in days. Ichigo forgot about his chips all of a sudden, and Rangiku took it as an advantage to wolf the whole bag down.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Are you okay?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia blinked. "Yes, I am."

"Want some chips?" Ichigo withdrew his hand from Rangiku's direction, but the bag was already empty.

"My bad," said Rangiku, giggling.

"Well, do you want one? I have more on my bag. My sister packed for me, and she threw in tons of food," said Ichigo, though uncertain why he was explaining.

"No, thank you." She was still looking at him.

"Okay," said Ichigo, disappearing to his seat.

Rukia wanted so much to ask him so many questions, but she was afraid of what he may answer. She was afraid to ruin his present sweetness, his kindness, his sympathy to her. She was afraid to see him differently with what she would hear.

She knew they were both sensible people, even if she had always called him an idiot, and knew that if they really were together back then, they would only break up for the most severe reasons. She was afraid to know what those reasons were. Break-ups were never good, were they?

"Oi, are you okay?" It was Rangiku.

"Yes," she lied for the second time. She was not fine. "Hey, Rangiku?"

"What is it?" asked Rangiku cheerfully.

"Do I have a boyfriend before me accident?" asked Rukia. Then she realized that her question was wrong. "I mean, did I have a boyfriend _ever_?

It caught the gifted woman offguard. But she regained her composure almost instantly. "I do not know!" she answered, giggling. "Maybe you intentionally forgot to tell me, 'coz you know I'll tease you endlessly." And she giggled like she didn't take the question seriously. "Nice bracelet, did you buy that?"

She looked at her wrist, where the charm bracelet stood out against her pale skin. "No, Renji gave it to me."

Rukia sighed. Speaking of her cousin, maybe he was right. Maybe she did have to remember things on her own.

* * *

A/N: Now you know what Ichigo was to her before her accident! Well, sort of, but still :) Review if you can, I appreciate it. I think I'll be inspired to write the next chapter after I watch Episode 228 again. LOL. That was hilarious. Oh well, see you soon!

**QUOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER:**

**"Never long someone from your past. There's a reason why he or she didn't make it to your future."**

_(OMG. Was that true? Then Ichigo.. oh no.)_


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